Hello, my name is Nika . and I'm 119 years old and currently living in Germany. I am a native German speaker and teach English, German. I have been an online English teacher with Verbalplanet.com since March 2014.
I can speak the following languages fluently: German, English.
I am currently offering a free initial trial lesson for new students.

Detailed Profile in English

About me

Guten Tag!

My goal is to get the student to sound like a native German speaker. The secret to sounding natural and like a native speaker is to not only make the student memorize words, but to teach phrases and expressions that native speakers would use. I have been utilizing that approach since I started and have seen amazing, above-average progress with every student. Du schaffst das! You can do it!

I have taught German to professionals in a variety of industries (the scientific/medical field, the economic/ finance industry, the automotive/technology branch), customizing the lessons with a specific goal in mind, whether you are looking for a job in a German-speaking country or are trying to reach German fluency, to get ahead in life and work. Verstanden? Understood?

Vocabulary, grammar, speaking, accent reduction, we'll cover it all, and it'll even be fun! It is easiest to learn a language by engaging in conversation with a native speaker, and only a native speaker knows the real intonation and sentence patterns, expressions and idioms of a language, so if your goal is to get your pronunciation as close to a native speaker's as possible, then taking lessons with a native German is the way to go. Klingt gut? Sounds good?

I do have a 60/20/20 approach, where I dedicate 60 percent of the lesson towards speaking, to help improve fluency, 20 percent goes towards grammar-related exercises, to help get rid of mistakes and the rest we use to go over visual, thematic vocabulary, to aid in expanding your word base. That way, we cover all the bases and ensure that you'll sound perfect long-term, making adjustments along the way, depending on the students' strengths and weak points. So leicht ist das! As easy as that!

I supply the textbooks and material, so all you'd have to bring is an interest in learning German. I own textbooks for every level of proficiency - beginner (A1, A2), intermediate (B1, B2) and advanced (C1, C2) and I always tailor and customize each session to my students' age, level of proficiency and knowledge, maximizing progress.

If you're interested, feel free to send me a message and you could be on your way towards German fluency. Würde mich freuen, von dir zu hören!

Schöne Grüße

Nika

Qualifications & Experience

In addition to being a native German speaker, I have the following background in teaching/tutoring:

2013-present:

teaching German to students of every age and professional background at all levels of proficiency (A1 – C2; European frame of reference); focusing on reaching full proficiency/ fluency and the ability to interact with other native German speakers, both in a professional and personal setting

2012-2013:

teaching German as part of a language immersion program in the US

2009-2012:

studying to become a teacher at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, Germany and teaching at a local high school, class sizes: 30 students or less

2008-2009:

working for a German non-profit, teaching German to adult learners as part of an immigrant-immersion program; focusing on reducing language barriers/ facilitating societal and professional integration; class sizes: 20 students or less

2007-2008:

internship at a German day-care, focusing on early language development and childhood education

Teaching Approach

The best way to learn a language is to be taught by a native speaker. I have the theoretical knowledge from taking education/linguistics classes (majoring in education) and I also have the hands-on, practical, in-the-classroom knowledge from teaching and tutoring for over ten years now. Vocabulary, grammar, speaking skills, fluency, we'll practice it all, and it'll even be fun! After the lesson, I always send out a pdf-file of the chapters we covered to make it possible for the student to go over the material again. I work with the latest books and own textbooks for every level, so regardless of whether you're a beginner (A1,A2), are at the intermediate level (B1,B2) or the advanced level looking for perfection (C1,C2), I have got you covered, so you can be on your way to sounding like a native German speaker.

Exceptional lesson! Nika was prepared, professional and patient! You can tell she took the time to individualize the lesson for me. Speaking has been my weakness, but with Nika, I really feel at ease and the words just started to flow. Überglücklich!

19 Dec 2016
By : minglei
Subject : German

If you have a chance to take lessons with Nika, go ahead and do it. You won't regret it! Sie werden es nicht bereuen! I am now fluent in German and it's all thanks to Nika! Vielen, lieben Dank!

19 Dec 2016
By : minglei
Subject : German

Class December, 2nd: Simply amazing! Wirklich wunderbar!

18 Dec 2016
By : minglei
Subject : German

Lesson December, 10th: focused on Konjunktiv II, which will help me sound even more polite, especially at work, which is always a good thing.